Breathless in Biarritz
J21: Vannes @ Biarritz Olympique
The mid-2000s Biarritz Olympique, the team that won back-to-back Top 14 championships in 2005 and 2006 and was runners-up in the Heineken Cup in 2006, are one of my core rugby memories.
I loved everything. From what I then-thought was a uniquely Gallic thing of a scrum-half goal-kicker in Dimitri Yachvili, the loping speed of Sireli Bobo, to the back row of Serge Betsen, Thierry Dusautoir, and Imanol Harinordoquy.
The league they played in, the way they played, and the red and white kit made me an immediate fan of French rugby. Of course, that team is a far cry from the one twenty years on, languishing in the lower half of the Pro D2 table.
2005 was the same year that Jean-Noël Spitzer started coaching Vannes in Fédérale 2, the fourth tier of French rugby. He probably would not have believed you then if you had said he would be coaching his team as favourites away at Parc des Sports Aguiléra twenty years later.
Last week against Carcassonne, he experimented more and more with his Ajax style of total rugby, trying to move players around and playing them out of position. As he said to Ouest-France: “Versatility is important. We need as many players as possible who can play in several positions.”
Ahead of the trip, with both of his back-up scrum-halves injured, he would need to test this polyvalence with his side. In addition, the game would be fast, with a brand new synthetic pitch added in the off-season, something the players were excited for, having been frustrated by an inundated Brittany all year.
One thing is for sure: the Bretons meeting the Basques was set to be exciting. The synthetic strands came through bright green on the television, complementing the red and white of Biarritz and forming an Ikurrina, marking a tense battle between two of France’s most distinctive cultures.
Early pressure from Vannes led to a series of penalties against BO and, setting the scene for the day, Thibault Debaes kicked both to the corner. RCV prepared the pain et beurre of Vannes this season, a throw to the front and a maul-pushover try, to take the lead early on.
Not long after, Michael Ruru, having earned an extra week off against Carcassonne, took a further rest for what felt like a harsh decision, slowing the ball down at the ruck.
The supériorité numérique paid off, with space out wide for Zach Kibirige, on a four-game scoring run, after BO kept the ball in play from the lineout and found him free. The conversion was missed, keeping Vannes’ narrow lead intact.
It was clear that the synthetic turf was going to allow for expansive, searching rugby. Biarritz broke through the lines and Carlo Mignot ran it well from deep. The Brazilian international finished with a lovely line to take the lead.
In trying to match the gap, Vannes found themselves trying a little too hard. Ruru forced passes that went forward, while the pack threw themselves recklessly into rucks and were pinged multiple times. Enzo Benmegal, not long back from his stint in sevens, hurt himself trying to run through three defenders when a kick may have made more sense.
Despite this, some individual work flourished. Ruru hunched over for the steal and kicked through for Paul Surano to chase. Surano, with the smallest of shoulders, subtly gained the advantage and, like a game of Twister at 35 km/h, placed the ball down behind his shoulder as both players overran it. Bouthier curled it inside the post to take the lead.
Helpfully, the Basque crowd were whistling for the referee as the first half ended.
Even though Biarritz forced errors and controlled a lot of the tempo, they left points on the pitch. Yann Lesgourgues hit the post twice and missed two more. To beat Vannes, you have to take every one of those opportunities. As they showed soon after.
Fifteen fast phases. Spinning it right and left and taking surprising inside lines that broke through and gained 10 metres at a time. The Boulier brothers taking it in turns to break tackles, arguing over who got to go next like they were playing PlayStation growing up. Francis Saili cracking heads and shoulders, all of it then finished by Bouthier with a short feint and dive. Breathless rugby from the Bretons in Biarritz.
If the first score of the second half came through skill, the second had a bit of luck. A deep kick from Debaes bounced just inside the line and landed perfectly in the hands of a surprised Théo Beziat. One phase later, Wayne De Benettis broke through a tackle with a hop, skip, and jump. Steeve Blanc-Mappaz, like he had been every week since his signing, was there on the support line to finish the try.
The sense for Biarritz and the stadium was that they had missed their chance to come back. Si tu t’attaques au roi, tu ne dois pas le rater.
If the Biarritz fans thought that, by the time Saili, the 105 kg centre, was running through the middle of their defence like Louis Bielle-Bairry, they knew it. Vannes had scored three tries in fifteen minutes, and the score was 33-12.
Vannes’ ill-discipline, which they had been threatening the game with, turned into a similar rush of penalties. Defending their line, they gave up four in a row, leading to a penalty try, and Hugo Djehi being sent to the bin.
Then Michael Ruru, already on a yellow, was given the rare orange card just a few minutes later for further ruck disruption. Now facing 13 men, the home side scored soon after. With the score now 26-33 and 15 against 13, Biarritz were back in it.
From then on, every play was a risk. But this tenseness proved to be a springboard for Vannes, it gave them the freedom that let their talent shine, free from their sometimes suffocating system.
An improvised kick from impromptu scrum-half Paul Surano was fielded by Bouthier, who took it into touch. The subsequent lineout on the 22 was stolen by Blanc-Mappaz. When the ball fell loose, it was fly-hacked it through and Surano won the race for the second time in the game to extend the lead against the grain.
A surprising score from Biarritz made it 40–33. Though the drop-kick conversion allowed them to rush back to the line with five minutes to go, they did not have it in them. Vannes locked in, having already done enough to secure the victory, and saw it out.
There were an incredible 80 points on the day, and 46 in the second half. It is not clear what can be taken from the performance, but certainly a great deal can be taken from the grit to remain unbeaten in 2026. One thing for sure: it was the most Pro D2 game they would play all season.
The Cerise on the Cake (h/t Illtud Dafydd )
Dave Cherry, starting for Scotland, had a fairly average hour on Saturday, but it came as part of a win that would be remembered for a while.
Scotland had an interesting Six Nations. Beaten by Italy to start, they then beat England, who were proven distinctly average in their drubbing at Twickenham by Ireland. Now, facing a Wales team who were so down on their luck that there was no longer any surprise about what might happen over their 80 minutes. But they definitely made it hard for themselves.
I do feel bad for Cherry. He seemed to be the lightning rod for a lot of the infractions the entire Scottish team were facing. They were thoroughly beaten in the back row and at the breakdown, with Botham having such a strong game. Cherry definitely was guilty of a few of the penalties against him, but he seemed to catch the referees eye early, and didn’t lose his attention for the rest of the game.
Scotland have some decisions to make about selection, with their two most important games, France and Ireland, coming up in the next few weeks. There is a chance they can win it all, and it might be their best one for a long time.
For Cherry, he’s back in Vannes, and there’s a chance he plays for them this week. “It was a very intense match, we’ll see if he can play.” according to Yann Boulanger. Here’s hoping some of that international experience has an impact on an undefeated Vannes facing second in the league Colomiers Friday night.
Some serious BO nostalgia in here!